Smooth Transition to Ribbing

If you want to create a smooth line for ribbing when knitting a top down sweater, on the last round before the ribbing, change to a smaller sized needle which is usually 2 sizes smaller than the body of the sweater. Work one round of the body stitches (stockinette or pattern). On the first round of ribbing, SLIP every knit stitch and purl the purl stitches. On the next round, knit the normal ribbing stitches to the desired length.

Bind Off Using A Crochet Hook

You can save quite a bit of time by using a crochet hook instead of the right hand knitting needle when binding off. Here's how:

Using a crochet hook about the same size as your knitting needles, hook the first loop on the left-hand needle and knit the stitch onto the hook. Knit the next stitch onto the hook and pull the new stitch through the stitch already on the hook. Continue across the row pulling your new stitch through the one already on the crochet hook. At the end of the row, pull yarn through the last loop on the hook. It makes a nice even edge and is a major time saver.

Long Tail Cast-On - Which Strand?

If you use a long tail cast-on, do you ever accidentally pick up the tail end to knit only to find out half a row later that you are using the wrong strand? When you finish your cast-on, tie a slip knot in the tail or else wrap it into a butterfly knot so you can tell immediately which is the strand for knitting.

Placing Buttonholes Evenly

To evenly mark buttonholes, use about a 12-15” length of 1” wide elastic. Lay it out without stretching and using a permanent marker, mark a dot every inch leaving an inch selvedge on each end. To use it, use a binder clip to fasten one end of the elastic to a ruler or yardstick. Stretch it to the needed length and clip the other end. Now you have a movable ruler marked to your buttonhole specifications. I do recommend marking the sweater (clips or the like) right away to avoid errors in the event that the binder clips slip. When stretched, the dots will mark your buttonholes evenly down the length of front band so just use a clip stitch marker at the spots where the dots are.

By the way, to remember which side for buttonholes, use this saying:
Holy Moly! Girls are always right and boys are always out in left field. (The holes would be on the right for girls.)

Seaming Pieces Together

A good way hold the pieces together when sewing the finishing seams on a sweater (and to match up seam lengths) is to use the old fashioned wooden spring type clothes pins. You could also use the miniature ones that you can find in the dolls and toys departments of craft or toy stores.

Finishing Hat or Cap Tops

When your project ends with decreasing stitches fast like the top of a cap, the fingers of a glove or the top of an ornament, here’s how to make the finish look smoother. When the pattern says to thread yarn through remaining stitches and pull tight, run your yarn through those stitches a second time and then pull tight from the inside. The double yarn will help fill the loops of those stitches so they don’t gap, make the closing stronger and also help the closing circle lie flat. Another trick to use a smaller needle for the last few rounds of decrease.

Edge Stitches

To create a smooth edge on items like scarves and the front finished edge of a sweater, knit your rows this way. Knit the last stitch in the row through the back loop. Then slip the first stitch of the next as if to purl.
Another way to have a pretty edge is to add two stitches to the pattern and then slip the first stitch of every row knitwise and purl the last stitch on every row.

Natural Fibers

Here's a quick tutorial on natural fibers:
Wool comes from a domesticated sheep. Wool accepts dye well, is flame-retardant by nature, remains warm even when wet, sheds water better than other yarns. Natural wool should be hand-washed. 'Superwash' wool has been treated to allow machine washing. Wool will usually resume its proper shape when washed correctly; if it is mistreated and washed in too-hot water, it will shrink or felt.

Mohair comes from an Angora goat. Mohair is durable, sheds dirt, dyes well and does not felt easily. Despite its hardiness, it is usually spun into knitting yarn used for fluffy garments and scarves. This knitting yarn is abraded, roughing its fibers to create that 'fuzzy' look.

Angora comes from rabbits. Fabric made from this yarn is inelastic, very fluffy, soft and warm.

Silk is the yarn produced by silk moths. Silk knitting yarn is made from damaged silk cocoons and broken fibers. 'Raw' silk still has the original moth secretions in it. 'Tussah,' silk obtained from wild moths is brown. The food fed to domesticated moths determines their silk's natural color; this can white, green or yellow. Silk retains heat, absorbs moisture, pills less than wool, is very strong and very stable when knit, neither shrinking or stretching.

Cashmere comes from the undercoat of a Cashmere goat. It is so expensive because only a few ounces are obtained from each goat per year. It is such a delicate yarn, more fragile than wool and more susceptible to abrasion, that it is usually blended with wool to make it more durable.

Camel comes from the two-humped or Bactrian camel. Camel hair cannot be bleached, so it is either used undyed or dyed a darker color. It is lightweight and fragile.

Vicuna comes from the vicuna, a South American relative of the camel. They are rounded up once a year and shorn like llamas or sheep; their hair is finer than any other animal yarn.

Alpaca is a smaller relative of the llama but its hair is more commercially valuable. Knitting yarn does not felt or pill easily. It comes in fifteen natural colors (as do the alpacas) and is denser than wool . The undercoat of a llama is very similar to alpaca hair.

Qiviut (kiv-ee-uht) the yarn itself is very hard to find. It comes from a musk ox and resembles pale gray cashmere but does not shrink.

Underarm Stitches

To avoid holes at the underarm seam of a sweater, use a smaller needle to pick up stitches at the underarm. Pick up one stitch in each of the extra cast on stitches (if knitted in the round) or the bound off underarm stitches (if knitted flat). Then decrease in your first row of knitting if you have more stitches than needed for your pattern.

Fringe

If you are adding fringe to a poncho, afghan or a scarf or whatever your project is, here’s an easy way to cut even lengths of yarn. Cut an empty paper towel tube to the length of fringe that you need (mark the tube length the future use). Then cut a 1" length-wise wedge out of the tube. Wrap your yarn end-to-end around the tube. The curve will keep your yarn from sliding out or off the edges. Cut the ends of the wrapped strands and you’ll have the proper length of fringe. You can store several different lengths of tubes inside each other so you always have the right length to cut fringe.

Custom Gift Tags

To make a custom gift tag for a special item you've knit, cut a piece of white cardstock into the shape of the item (such as a sweater shape, mitten shape, sock shape, etc.). Then wrap extra yarn from the project around your gift tag so if it ever needs repairs, the recipient has matching yarn. Punch a hole in the top and attach to your gift.

Handy Measuring

If you are traveling and working on a project, sometimes you don’t have a ruler with you. Use a dollar bill instead. The length is 6” so folded in half makes a 3” ruler for ribbing. In thirds you have a 2” and 4” ruler. If you have a full page pattern, you will know 8-1/2” and 11”.

Cast On for Double Pointed Needles

If you are trying to cast-on using double pointed needles and the instructions say to “divide stitches evenly”, it’s not an easy task. So that the needles don’t slide out while you are manipulating those stitches and needles, use small rubber bands. As you distribute the stitches, put the rubber bands on both ends of the needles to keep things from slipping. When you knit the first round, remove the bands as you go keep them on for a few rounds until the needles will stay as you knit.

Chemo Cap Sizing

Here's a guide to head sizing for making chemo caps. There are lots of free patterns avaiable via the web. Try www.ravelry.com, http://www.freepatterns.com/ or www.headhuggers.org for patterns.
SIZE AROUND HEAD FRONT TO BACK EAR TO EAR
Extra Petite 20-1/2” 12” 10-1/2” to 11”
Petite 21” 12-1/2” 11” to 11-1/2”
Average 21-1/2” 12-1/2” to 13” 11-1/2” to 12”
Large 23 13”+ 12”+

SIZE AROUND HEAD FRONT TO BACK EAR TO EAR
Extra Petite 20-1/2” 12” 10-1/2” to 11”
Petite 21” 12-1/2” 11” to 11-1/2”
Average 21-1/2” 12-1/2” to 13” 11-1/2” to 12”
Large 23” 13”+ 12”+

Sleeves First

One way to knit a sweater and not end up with a vest is to knit the sleeves first. A sleeve can also be used as your gauge swatch if you are the type that doesn’t believe in swatches. It’s much easier to take out a few inches of sleeve than to end up with a garment that doesn’t fit.

Make One Stitches, Increases

If you have a hard time remembering which way to insert your needle when making a make 1 left or make 1 right (M1L, M1R), here’s a saying to help you.
“I left through the front door but I’ll be right back.”
Therefore, a left slanting increase (M1L) tells you to put your needle through the front of the stitch and a right slanting increase (M1R) tells you to put your needle through the back of the stitch to start the increase.

Unisex Baby Sweaters

When making baby sweaters in colors that can be worn easily by either sex, knit buttonholes on both sides of the front band. Sew buttons over the holes on the appropriate side once you know the sex of the baby. If it’s handed down, the buttons can always be moved to the other front band.

Buttonholes

To keep buttonholes neat, when you are finished with your garment, separate yarn plies and use one or two plies to sew a buttonhole stitch around the buttonhole. Also use separated yarn plies to sew on the buttons.

Measuring

When you make a copy of the pattern so you can highlight as you finish sections, add a tape measure in the margin when you make your copy so you always have one available and handy as you knit.

Cap Blocking

To shape a knitted hat, blow up a balloon to a size to fill out the hat and then spray it with a water atomizer. Let it dry before removing from the balloon. Blocking the easy way!

Using Up Yarn Scraps

If you are making striped mittens for kids and trying to use up odd ends of yarn, knit both mittens at the same time and use both ends of your yarn to divide it equally. That way you'll have enough to do both mittens without running out of a particular color of yarn.

Changing or Customizing Patterns

If you have a pattern that you’ve made some modifications to or use again and again, here’s a way to make life easy for you. Type the pattern into a Word document (just copy and paste if it’s an online pattern). Make your notes and changes to the pattern in a DIFFERENT COLORED FONT from the original pattern. Highlight the instructions for different sizes making yourself a key color chart on each page and if there are some complicated instructions (like increase every 4th row and at the same time, cable or whatever), add a table to your document with row numbers so you can check them off as you do the instruction. When you need to use the pattern again, just print another copy, and another copy, and another copy. . . . .

Multiple Strands

If you are working with 2 or 3 strands of yarn, before you start the project thread all strands through a small plastic ring like a cafe curtain hanger. This will keep all the yarn strands flowing smoothly and together. It also lets you be sure that you are always using the same number of strands.

Clip Marker Use

If you don't have pen and paper to jot down which row you are on in a pattern and aren’t using index cards, an easy marker is to use the clip type stitch markers or coiless safety pins. If your next row is row 7 in the pattern, clip the marker on the 7th stitch on your needle. When you start knitting again, you don't have to try and figure out where you were.

Shaping Hats

Another way to shape knitted hats: place the finished hat over an upturned colander which is placed over a pot of boiling water on the stove. Let the steam shape your hat for you.